


Freak Show

by ZpanSven



Series: Carrie Allen is the Flash [11]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014), The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Gen, Gender or Sex Swap, Genderbending, Rule 63
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-06-18
Packaged: 2018-04-04 15:53:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4143642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZpanSven/pseuds/ZpanSven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What should have been an ordinary bank robbery turns into anything but as the robber is...a circus strongman?!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Things were getting back to normal, which was good – Eddie was out of the hospital, though on light duty. As it was, she was not as late as she normally was, heading up to her lab when Captain Singh called out to her form his office:

“Allen! Where's the DNA evidence on the Hotchkiss case?”

“I'm getting it now, Captain!” She called back over her shoulder. In that momentary distraction, she barreled right into Hunter, who was reaching for a cup off coffee offered by Iris. “Ooop!”

Hey, Carrie,” Hunter chuckled, catching the off-balanced CSI easily.

“Slow down, Care-bear!” Joe chuckled. Of the men in her life, Hunter was on the very short list of men approved of for the possibility of Carrie dating. One of others was Cisco; he liked the engineer.

“Sorry,” she muttered in embarrassment before glancing at Iris. “You're going to spoil us by bringing us coffee all the time, sis.”

“I don't mind. It gives me a chance to come over and see everyone.”

“Ooh is that chocolate croissant for me?” Eddie asked, reaching in fo the tempting pastry. 

Iris slapped his hand. “No. Its all mine.”

“You'd deny a wounded man a sweet treat?” Carrie giggled. “So mean.”

“The meanest,” Eddie agreed with a fake-wounded look at his girl friend.

“...fine, I'll share,” she huffed; the grin that was at the corner of her lips suggested she had been planning to anyway.

The radio crackled to life as the dispatcher announced: “All available units please respond. There's a 211 in progress at Central City National Bank! Be advised, suspect appears to have increased strength and might be on some kind of stimulant.”

“Or worse,” Joe muttered, frowning as he grabbed his jacket. “That's less than a mile form here. How fast can we get there, Eddie?”

She had blurred away before catching his response, heading up to her lab to change into the spare suit she kept there and was racing down the road. One the way she paused to help a dog walker who had lost control of the small pack of dogs she was walking, keeping them from escaping too far and being accidentally hit by a car.

Carrie had found she rescued a surprising number of dogs since gaining her super-speed.

However, what she found at the bank was not something one would see everyday – a bald man with a handlebar mustache...that stood over nine feat tall with bulging muscles. He was garbed in a black one piece workout outfit with a purple top-hat on the front of it. He was carting a very large barbell in one hand.

...he looked like something off a circus poster....

As she had gaped at him, he regarded her. “Nice costume.”

“...thanks?” she replied, barely remembering to modulate her voice. “Nice mustache. Not many men today can pull off the full handlebar.”

“And who are you?” he rumbled at her.

“A concerned citizen,” she was saying as he was swinging at her; Carrie zipped around him, standing behind him as he shattered the front steps with the barbell. 

“What?! Where'd you go?!” He was looking around in confusion.

“Right here!” She sped forward, somersaulting into the air to slam both feet into the back of his head. 

He barely staggered, spinning around with remarkable speed – for a non-speedster – and grabbed her by the side. Under that massive hand she felt a rib break and when she was slammed into a nearby pillar felt another crack.

She hit the ground hard, landing bad on her ankle; gasping futilely for breath, she could only watch, as he slammed a fist into the pillar she had struck. The marble pillar cracked, toppling towards her. “See you later, freak.”

Frantically she rolled out of the way and it slammed into the concrete where she had been seconds before. Through the dust she could hear Hunter shouting: “Central City PD!”

Joe's voice rang out: “Spread out!”

her chest ached and her ankle was probably broken. But she couldn't let them find her...

She sped away despite the pain it caused, only pausing after ducking in an alleyway to make sure the man didn't return to attack Joe and the others. Reassured they were safe, she ran as fast as he ankle would let her back to STAR Labs.


	2. Chapter 2

She practically fell onto her face when she arrived into the Cortex, causing Caitlin to look at her in alarm.

“What's wrong?”

“I think...I broke my ankle...and it healed wrong...” she explained through gritted teeth.

“If that's the case,” Dr Wells turned towards her with a concerned frown as she climbed onto the medical bed, “We'll have to rebreak it in order to properly reset it...without the benefit of anesthetic. It is perhaps the only drawback to your healing ability.”

Tentatively she placed her ankle into a stirrup so that Cisco could bring over the portable X-Ray machine. “I don't know what's worse, not being able to have painkillers or having my ankle broken twice in one day...what am I saying? Not being able to have painkillers is the worst thing ever.”

Especially when her period came around...

“We'll need to get X-Rays and a blood sample right away in order to be certain there aren't any further complications. Something like sepsis could spread--”

“I believe you,” she interrupted Caitlin, slumping back on the medical bed. “...I'm totally going to need to go to the cute side of youtube after this...”

“I found a buncha cute kitten videos,” Cisco offered while tapping on his tablet. “Okay. Now on a count of three. One. Two---”

There was agonizing pain shooting up her leg and the sound of her ankle being rebroken mingled with her scream of pain as she sat up, trying to free her leg from the contraption; Caitlin held her foot fast.

Slumping back she panted faintly before whining pitifully. “You didn't say three!”

“Don't worry, you won't need a cast,” Caitlin soothed. “I'm going to hold your foot in place while everything heals.”

Dr Wells leaned forward, patting her hand gently. “You'll be fine. Now, while your bones mend, why don't you tell us about this...strongman.”

“He...wasn't carrying any money bags so there had to be something else he wanted form the bank...” she frowned thoughtfully, unconsciously curling her hand around his. “He had a symbol on his chest – a purple top hat...” Her lips pursed into a faint pout as she looked at him through her eyelashes. “If I didn't have to run and hide form the police, this information could come in handy.”

“There were plenty of witnesses on the scene that can give them that information,” he reminded her, his thumb gently rubbing over the tri-polymer of her glove covering her knuckles in a soothing manner. “And its not safe for you – or your family – if people know about you.”

“...I hate lying. And I'm terrible at it,” she sighed. “And I feel....like I'm not really me?”

She blushed hotly as he tilted his head regarding her. “No matter what name you go by – Carrie Allen or the Flash - you are a unique and wonderful young woman. You have touched many lives under both names. Never doubt that.”

Caitlin patted the top of Carrie's foot reassuringly. “All better. You want some chocolate from the Stash?”

“Please,” she replied gratefully; Caitlin was probably keeping an eye on the calender - that one dreaded day of the month was looming up again...

“Don't worry, Carrie,” Dr Wells said, gently releasing her hand as Caitlin handed her a candy bar. “We'll figure out who the strongman really is...we'll just need to locate a fresh DNA sample.”

Ripping open the candy bar, she took a bit, eyes closing in pleasure as she savored the treat. Caitlin sure new to pick the good stuff...

“Might be able to get a chance at the crime scene if he bleed or something,” Cisco said. “You just got a text from Joe, by the way.”

She opened an eye to give him a half-hearted glare, swallowing her bite of the candy bar. “Dude! Privacy?”

“Sorry,” he smiled sheepishly.

“You are lucky I don't have a boyfriend. What if I did and you read our sexts or something?” she teased, watching him blush. 

“So long as I don't see dick-pics, I think I'd be alright,” he spluttered.

She sat up, finishing off the candy bar. “I should be able to locate some biological sample there - I mean, he was sweating a lot... I should be able to sneak you guys a swab...”

“Gross,” Caitlin grimaced.

“Cool,” Cisco corrected the doctor.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Carrie mentions her period in this chapter, just in case anyone is squicked by that.

Of all people that was at the crime scene Iris surprised her. 

“Hey, Care-bear!” 

“Hey, Iris. What brings you by?”

“I had a break at work and thought I'd swing by – Eddie promised me some fro-yo,” she replied, nodding to where Eddie was checking his messages.

“Oh you're going to get something sweet from me, Babe,” Eddie said as he leaned in, kissing her cheek. “Promise.”

“Get a room, love-birds, some of us have to work,” she snickered as she entered the bank vault.

As she was opening up her kit and gloving up, she could hear faintly one of the uniforms asking Eddie: “So what's with Iris and the weirdo?”

“That 'weirdo' is her sister,” Eddie replied sharply. 

“And she's not weird – just smart,” Hunter added tightly.

...Iris chose well, she thought to herself, her cheeks burning. And Hunter...he was really great...

When she looked down she could see where what looked like sweat or even saliva was starting to dry. Hurriedly she took two swabs taking samples – one for work and the other for STAR Labs. She slipped back outside and found Cisco and Caitlin waiting at the crime scene tape. Heading over to them she slipped them the small evidence bag with the swab.

“Its a big mess in there, it'll probably take me a while to process everything,” she told them. “Hopefully you'll have everything analyzed by the time I'm done...”

“We should,” Caitlin reassured her.

“He, Carrie” Joe called. “I need you to get some fingerprints over here!”

“On my way!”

\-------

“Its so weird. He didn't take any money,' the bank manager said in confusion, his bushy brows drawn together. “The only thing that seems to be missing is my safe deposit box.”

“Which is why we're taking your prints as an elimination sample so we can isolate his,” she reassured the elderly man as she setup the digital scanner to take scans of his prints.

“What was in it?” Joe questioned.

“The deeds and paperwork to the businesses I've been forced to foreclose on,” he replied sadly.

Faintly she could hear the murmur of Iris and Eddie speaking through the glass as she offered the tablet out to the bank manager.

“Please place your hand here and it'll scan your finger and palm prints,” she murmured and reassured him. “It won't hurt at all.”

“Amazing how technology has made life easier,” the elderly man replied, allowing her to take the scans.

“No fuss, no muss,” she agreed.

His phone beeped on his desk. “Are we all done? I should check that...”

“Yes, sir, thank you for your time. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to call,” Joe said.

\-------

If she didn't know better, she'd think Hunter was making faces at her from behind the visor of his motorcycle helmet. He waggled his fingers at them and she giggled faintly. They were sitting in traffic, Eddie and Iris in Eddie's car a head of them, and Hunter on the back of his motorcycle beside her car door.

“I wanted us to ride together so we could have some privacy, Care-bear,” Joe rumbled, side-eyeing her and drawing her attention back to him. “Something's up, isn't it?”

“Its...nothing,” she muttered in embarrassment.

“No it's not. Spill.”

“...you're gonna regret it,” she sighed and her lips pressed into a thin line as she stared at the taillights of Eddie's car ahead of them. “...my period's coming up.”

She saw his shoulder move in a full-body flinch. He must be remembering her first period since waking from the coma. He'd come looking for her at STAR Labs when she'd called out of work and walked in to hear her screaming from one of the hazmat showers... Caitlin had told her later Dr Wells had broke out some whiskey to share with the traumatized father.

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I don't know if it'll come on a day off so Caitlin will have to write me out of work for 'tests'...”

He was about to speak when a car abruptly swerved into the lane Eddie's car was in. She screamed wordlessly in horror as Joe yelled Iris's name. Beside them Hunter threw yanked his helmet off as he was off the back of his motorcycle.

They clamored out of Joe's car, rushing over to where Eddie was helping Iris out of the passenger side.

“Are you two okay?” Carrie asked, checking them over in worry. 

“I think so--” Iris said, shaken.

“Oh shit,” Hunter swore abruptly.

He and Joe were looking past them, their eyes wide and faces pale.

Looking at them – with glowing eyes – was an assortment of big cats. And they were coming straight for them.

“Oh shit,” Carrie agreed with a whimper.


	4. Chapter 4

“Everyone get back! No fast movements!” Hunter commanded the terrified civilians around them while he and Eddie drew their sidearms. Carrie had started to step forward and was fighting with her instinctive response to blur forward with her super-speed.

“Iris, get in my car – I want as much metal as possible between you and those cats,” Joe was saying.

“Everyone get back inside your cars!” Eddie called to the civilians while pulling Carrie back out of the way of danger. “Easy, Carrie...”

“You should be the one going easy, you're not healed fully!” Carrie hissed. “What if your stitches bust and they smell the blood and they're hungry?!”

“I'll be fine – I got Joe and Hunter watching my back. Now get in the car with Iris!” Eddie pushed her gently back in the direction of Joe's car.

“Go on,” Hunter agreed and she allowed Iris to 'lead' her to the car.

The sisters exchanged a glance once they had left the men behind and Carrie's eyes lit on a pair of prison buses. 

She whispered to Iris, “I've got an idea...”

“Ohho!” Iris nodded in approval. “One of those should hold them...”

As Carrie blurred forward and transferred prisoners from one bus to another, she thought perhaps she should start working out more, try and build her upper-body strength further. Maybe Oliver would lend her his Salmon Ladder...?

So far the three police Detectives hadn't opened fire on the big cats, which she was grateful for. She had a soft spot for the big cats. As she was opening the back of the now empty prison bus, she peered around to check on them...and was treated to the sight of Eddie wielding a pool noodle and a ducky floater like a sword and shield to drive a leopard and a lion back.

“Back!” He shouted at the pair of big cats, who looked curious at the crazy man with the strange toys in his hand. “See, nothing to it!”

Tired from carrying those heavy prisoners, she still pushed as much speed as she could in the tight corners, zipping around Eddie, calling his name in her distorted voice to get his attention.

As he looked in the direction of the voice, she was already around him and clapped her hands at super-speeds to drive the big cats back into the prison bus. Thankfully the speeds she was moving at, no one could see her...

“That actually worked?” Hunter looked on in disbelief as Eddie seemingly scared the big cats back into the bus with a pool noodle. “I was composing your eulogy!”

Joe was already on his phone with dispatch, “We need all units and animal control over here now! We have a situation I the Lincoln Street tunnel---”

She zipped back to Iris's side. “They're contained.”

Her sister sighed in relief. “Thanks, Care-bear...”

Carrie pulled out her phone, calling STAR Labs, putting them on speaker phone. “Cisco, Caitlin! Do you guys know of anything about a bunch of wild cats escaping the zoo?”

“Yeah, there was a zoo-break half an hour ago!” Cisco said. “The City's gone full-on Jumanji!”

“Carrie, the cats weren't the only animals to escape,” Caitlin informed her. “There's reports of a squad of monkeys wreaking havoc over at Tech Village on 5th and Western.”

“What sort of monkeys?” Iris asked.

“Chimpanzees, if you want to get technical,” the engineer replied. “Which we should since they are probably less likely to rip your face off than a gorilla...”

“Less likely,” Carrie groaned. “Great.”

\----------

She zipped out of the tunnel, pausing only to retrieve her suit, and made a beeline for Tech Village. The storefront windows were smashed in and there were at least twenty chimpanzees screaming and throwing televisions and electronics around.

“Where is animal control?” she asked over the comm.

“Right now you are animal control,” Caitlin replied. “You have to find a way to calm them down.”

“This is like twenty toddlers throwing temper tantrums at the same time!” she protested while looking around in frustration.

...there was a fruit stand. With bananas and other goodies.

No way it could be that easy, right?

Well, she wouldn't know unless she tried.

Speeding over to the stand, she scooped up an armful of fruit and returned back to the store. She dispensed the fruit to the monkeys and turned on a movie. They immediately began to settle down, enthralled with King Kong on the largest TV in the store.

“Poor things, they were just hangry!” Carrie crooned to the one that climbed in her lap. Her stomach growled and she snacked on one of the left over bananas. “I'm totally familiar with that feeling myself...”

Gently she cuddled the chimp in her lap. “They seem really used to people...I bet they got scared as well as hungry and that's why they acted out...”

It didn't take her long to get them organized and began to tempt them from the store with more fruit. “Okay, lets stay with the buddy system everyone...”

“We can hear you, you know,” Caitlin said in amusement.

“Well if they act like toddlers, I'll treat them like toddlers,” she retorted.

Something splatted on the ground near them and she saw...bird poo. 

And a lot of it. 

Ewww. 

Her nose crinkled as she looked up at the hawks flying over head. If they were from the zoo, there was no way she could round them up too. At least they weren't a possible threat to people like the chimps were...


	5. Chapter 5

Back at the zoo, the chimps didn't fight going back in their enclosure. Carrie giggled to herself as she set down the last of the chimps. “They can call me...the chimp whisperer!”

“Still here, Carrie,” Caitlin chortled.

“Me too,” Cisco snickered.

“They're safe and secure,” she replied, waving farewell to the monkeys.

As she turned away she spotted something on the ground. Was that...a collar? And why did it look familiar?

Picking it up, she saw on the collar's tab was...a purple top hat. Just like the strongman at the bank... There was no way that was a coincidence.

“Say...were you guys able to get anything back from that sample I gave you?”

“Not much in terms of his powers yet, but we did get an ID – no surprise, he had a criminal record,” Caitlin replied. “His name is Joey Rose and his last known employer was the Central City Circus.”

“Hmm. Well its more than we new before. I better get back before Eddie or Hunter notice I'm gone...”

\------------

She returned in her normal clothing just in time to 'exit' Joe's car alongside Iris. They watched as Animal Control removed the big cats – they had obviously been tranquilized. 

She felt a pang, wanting to reach out and pet one of the great cats before they were taken back to the zoo. Leaning over to Iris, she whispered, “You think they'll let us pet them since your boyfriend 'wrangled' them?”

Iris giggled faintly, watching as Eddie and one of the Animal Control officers spoke.

“---they can be pretty feisty when they get hungry,” the officer was saying.

“So can Eddie!” Iris quipped, causing him to turn.

“Iris!”

She watched the two embrace and gave Hunter her best innocent look. “So...how'd you guys round them up without shooting them anyway?”

“Eddie is apparently terrifying with a pool noodle,” he deadpanned, causing her to giggle.


	6. Chapter 6

At the Station, she rolled her eyes as Eddie regaled the others in the bullpen with the story of him wrangling the big cats using only a pool noodle. And then one of the uniforms tossed a football to Eddie and he in turned tossed it to Hunter; they were talking about the football game tomorrow that Eddie was taking Iris too.

It was all Gibberish to her – she'd never cared much for sports. The closest she'd done was Gymnastics and boxing with Iris...

...maybe she should try her hand at gymnastics again. With her new abilities, perhaps she'd not fall as much as she did as a little girl...

“Thawne! West!” Captain Singh bellowed. “Homicide on 122 West Olympic Street! Take Allen with you!”

“Can't you put Zolomon or someone else on it, Captain?” Joe asked. “We're up to our ears in paperwork from the bank robbery this morning...”

“That's why its got to be you, West. You're stack's about to get bigger.”

\--------------------------------------

Well this was one of the weirder crime scenes, Carrie mused as she inspected the body while they waited for the coroner. Using a magnifying glass, she inspected the visible puncture marks all over the man's face, hands, and body more critically.

“Fangs?” Joe sighed. “Great, our perp was Dracula. After today, I'm hardly surprised...”

“Too much blood left behind to be a vampire's bite,” she quipped. “but you are on the money about the 'fangs'...only they came from a viper. Judging by the fang-to-fang distance, I'd suspect a Jack Russel Viper. Several actually, given the amount of bite wounds...”

She lifted her gaze to meet the amused gazes of the pair of detectives. Her eyebrows went up. “What? I went to Reptile Camp when I was twelve!”

“I know, I paid for it,” Joe drawled.

“Could it be connected to the zoo outbreak?” Eddie wondered as he helped gathered loose sheets of paper from the floor of the crime scene after Carrie had documented everything with her camera.

“Maybe,” Joe murmured as he riffled through an partially open filing cabinet. “But a buncha snakes don't just slither up twenty-eight stories, kill a single man, and then slither back down again...”

“He's right,” Carrie agreed. “Its just not very snakey behavior.”

The older detective nodded absently. “Someone brought these snakes up here – someone who knew how to handle them. And that someone wanted this guy to suffer. Lets start with a list of the people who might have had it in for the guy...and I have a feeling it's going to be long...” 

“It is,” Eddie was reading over one of the papers he had picked up.

“Whatcha got, partner?”

“A list of the deeds to various businesses that he's foreclosed on. I'd say there were a lot of very angry business owners with a lot of motive...”

“Who's on it?”

“A hair salon, several restaurants, a circus, a couple of pet shops...”

Wait a minute---

“Did you say a circus?” Carrie blinked at Eddie.

“Yeah.”

“Closing down a circus...that's just sad,” she murmured, her mind racing. 

When Eddie and Joe stepped outside to question possible witnesses, she pulled out her phone and called STAR Labs. “Hey Caitlin... you said that Joey Rose used to be a strongman at a circus. Did you ever find out what happened to that circus?”

“I'm not Siri you know...”

“Nah, you're way better,” she quipped.

“Okay, I'll look.” Caitlin chuckled sin her ear and faintly there was the sound of the doctor clicking on the keyboard. “It was foreclosed on a few months ago and the animals were taken to Central City Zoo...”

“By the Central City National Bank?”

“Yeah, how'd you know?”

“...I think everything that has happened today is connected. What happened to the Circus's owner?”

“Hold on, checking now....”

“Uh-oh...” Cisco gulped loudly.

“What 'Uh-oh'?” Carrie asked in worry.

“It looks like he didn't take it very well,” Caitlin replied tactfully.

…that didn't sound very good, Carrie thought in worry.

“Carrie, I think you better get back here. This ringmaster has-” Caitlin advised; as she was speaking, Carrie was already speeding away from the scene, arriving in the Cortex in a whirl of wind, causing Caitlin to stare at her from behind her now messy veil of hair. She finished her sentence in exasperation while Cisco jumped to catch a stray sheet of paper. “-some anger issues.”

“Why has no one invested in paperweights yet?” Carrie asked absently, helping Cisco collect the papers that had flown from his hands.

Caitlin rolled her eyes as the speedster gave the trio a cheeky grin. “The circus was foreclosed on s little over ten months ago.”

“I think we know what happened to the animals,” Cisco added.

“This all ties back to the ringmaster,” Carrie murmured, stripping off her gloves.

“Ah, Nathan Bliss,” Dr Wells said, peering over Caitlin's shoulder. “He had a way of captivating an audience.”

“You went to the circus, Dr Wells?” Cisco asked in surprise.

“Human Cannon ball. Always entertaining,” he replied perfectly straight-faced, causing Carrie to giggle despite herself.

She cleared her throat, regaining control over herself. “So...the strongman at the bank had to be a meta-human. There's no way steroids could make him grow to nine feet tall...”

“And those animals from the zoo were definitely being controlled by someone,” Caitlin agreed.

“Yeah, the whole glowing eyes was pretty freaky,” she shuddered. “You think the whole circus was hit by the particle accelerator?”

“Its likely,” Cisco agreed. “It was in the blast range when it exploded.”

“Do you think the ringmaster might be a meta-human too?” Carrie asked, glancing back to Dr Wells.

He nodded. “I would suspect so.”

“I'll scout around the circus's last known location and see if I find anything,” she replied, zooming over to her suit and changing into in. She was turning, pulling the cowl on her head. “They probably have already gone into hiding but maybe there will be some clues to where they went.”

“Be careful,” Dr Wells said.

She almost rolled her eyes and instead gave him a wry grin. “I always am. I'm almost convinced you're jinxing me, Dr Wells!”

“I should hope not, but just in case, keep an eye out for meta-human cannon balls,” he chuckled faintly before she sped away, a giggle trailing in her wake.


	7. Chapter 7

She had to admit, she was surprised to find the circus tents still in place – the tents were showing significant wear through... At the top of the big top was a banner with numerous holes that read 'the Happiest Place on Earth'.

More like the creepiest place on Earth, she thought as she shivered. Warily she regarded the Strongman standing there, a massive hammer resting on his shoulder as he stared back at her.

“...I...was not actually expecting you guys to still be here,” she admitted in her modulated voice her hand held up in a gesture of peace. “Look, I'm not here for a fight. I just...want some answers. Is there a way I can speak to your boss?”

He tilted his head at her before pulling back the flap of the tent's entrance. “He's been waiting for you...”

...wait, what?

She blinked at him before tentatively entering the big top.

It was dark. Spooky.

Oh God what if there were clowns waiting for her?

Please don't let there be clowns, she prayed.

Clowns were terrifying...

Spotlights suddenly turned on before her, illuminating several clowns on the back of a tricycle.

Oh crap it was clowns. Why did people hired these guys to entertain children anyway? They were creepy!

She whined faintly in distress. Dr Wells had jinxed her, the handsome bastard.

Taking a breath, she assumed a loose stance. “Alright then. Do we want to do this by height, weight, or randomly selected numbers?”

Springing forward, she sped through the cluster of clowns, sending them flying in multiple directions. She regarded the fallen clowns. Well that wasn't too bad and seemed semi-therapeutic at the same time.

Behind her came a strange sound, almost like someone was swallowing or throwing up... Turning she found a guy spitting up a....sword?!

Seriously?!

Ewww.

That was quite the twist on the usual sword swallower routine!

She ducked under a swipe from the first sword he had expelled while he was still spitting out another. A swift kick to his gut caused him to spit out the sword; she snagged it's hilt, grimacing faintly.

Looks like watching Lord of the Rings and all those other movies were about to pay off, she thought while biting back a nearly hysterical giggle as he charged at her.

Her nervousness induced her usual babbling as she blocked one of his strikes: “Is this folded steel? You know what, I don't even want to know how you do that...”

“You know, these have pretty nice balance....” she complimented as she twisted out of the way of one of his strikes. She sped to the side, taking his sword from him and standing behind him, holding both swords. “If you ever decide to quit the evil circus, you could make a good living selling a couple these every month on Etsy. Just...don't tell them where they really come from...”

She charged forward, knocking him unconscious with a quick strike with one of the sword hilts. Peering around while holding the swords she asked tentatively. “So...is that it? Is there anyone next?”

“I am,” the Strongman growled, his massive fist slamming between her shoulder blades and sending her flying forward, the swords falling from her loosened grip.

The breath knock out of her, she wheezed desperately, trying to breath as she pushed herself back up.

“I said I wanted him captured,” a new voice said disapprovingly. “Preferably in one piece, if you don't mind.”

“Captured...?” she wheezed, her eyes widening in panic as she stood. There was a man standing there wearing a top hat...and floating in the air beside him, sitting cross-legged was another man. The hell?!

The flap behind him was open and she sped for it; no way did she wanted to be captured by an evil circus---

“Rajeet?” the man – the ringmaster? - sighed.

“What the--” And like that she was no longer on the ground. She flailed, squeaking in distress as she rose through the air.

“I think our guest wold prefer a little air,” the ringmaster said in amusement.

She soared up through air, her body ripping through the canvas. Talk about being in the nosebleed section, she thought hysterically.

“I don't do heights!” she screamed, forgetting to modulate her voice. “Please put me down!”

Instead she rose further and further, faster and faster until the air grew thinner and thinner. It was getting hard to breath... A jet flew by her as she rose through the clouds and she thrashed helplessly.

Cold...so cold...was she...icing over? How far up in the atmosphere was she?!

...was that...a satellite....? she wondered deliriously.

So difficult to breath.

So...cold... she thought as blackness crept into her vision and she blacked out.

\---there was the acrid smell of cigar smoke and she was...upside down? Her eyes opened to find herself hanging upside down midair as the Ringmaster spoke:

“There that's better. Refreshing wasn't it?” He blew a smoke ring into her face. “You maybe a speed freak...but you're still just a freak.”

Rude! And twice over!

Frantically she tried to struggle against Rajeet's mental hold keeping her aloft.

The ringmaster chuckled. “You'll fit right in!”


	8. Chapter 8

“I came from a humorless place. My mother and father couldn't care less about me. There was nothing good in my life. But one day, the circus came to town...and I ran away...” The ringmaster began to wax in what he probably thought was a poetic manner about the captivating performers of the circus.

She tried to pay attention, really! Understanding was important if there was ever a chance to reform him and his evil circus....

….but it was so boring. 

And she read text books and encyclopedias for fun!

Sitting cross-legged in the cage, she blinked at him.

“Mister...” she remembered to modulate her voice. “I'm really sorry you had an unhappy childhood but...your actions make you nineteen shades of psycho and you've gone from ringmaster to ringleader.”

...it was very quiet in her ear. That was really abnormal Tentatively she made sure the comm was on. It was in the on position... “...guys? Are you there?”

“I disabled your suit's communication system,” the ringmaster informed her. “Now where was I?”

She groaned in dismay, falling over onto her side.

“When I was old enough,” he said, ignoring her theatrics. “I became the ringmaster. People came from all over to see our show. My show. To experience real joy. I could make people feel something!”

“I feel tired?” she offered helpfully with a yawn and shrugged at the reproachful frown he directed at her, resting her head on her hand.

“And then the audience turned on us!” he declared dramatically. At a lack of response, he saw she was dozing and kicked the bars.

She jerked upright at the ringing noise. “I'm awake!”

“As I was saying. The audience had become ungrateful – they had forgotten the joy that we had brought to their lives. They forgot how much they needed us. We were left with nothing... But then came that night and the bright light that changed everything. And we were changed too.” He gestured to the strongman. “Some of us became stronger.” His head tilted to a woman wrapped in multiple Jack Russel Vipers...a snake charmer. “Some of us began to control animals...”

“And you gained really awesome lung capacity?” she blinked at him before rising to her feet and dusting off her suit. Stepping forward, gripping the bars between them. “Attacking the bank...it was all to get the lease for your circus back?”

“Believe me, I have far grander designs than that.”

“...the same night that changed all of you, changed me to. That was when I got my powers and I use them to protect this city and its people.”

“The people in this city...” the ringmaster said disdainfully. “We offered them joy and they spat in our faces. Now we are the ones who are going to be entertained.”

“I really am sorry for everything that has happened to each of you, but I can't let you hurt anyone else!” she retorted, vibrating the bars she held; they and the surrounding bars became red hot at the friction, liquefying and allowing her to leap forward, charging at him.

He lifted a hand in her direction. “I never told you how I was changed...”

She abruptly tumbled as she was about to tackle him, rolling forward past him in confusion. How the hell---

“I told you, I had the ability to make people feel. And now...I can make them feel whatever I want. Joy...sorrow...pain.”

Curling in the fetal position, she clutched at her chest in pain. “W-what---?!”

“You're greatest fear. Your worst night. Sometimes both at the same time,” he laughed as she rolled to her hands and knees.

Get up, get up—she was telling herself and had started to, when her head lifted and she saw---

“Mom?” The modulation had involuntarily stopped in her shock and her voice was so soft, small whimper.

The snake-charmer behind the ringmaster flinched slightly as she held her snakes close to her – the speedster...was a child?

Carrie was trembling as she stared at her mother...was standing there...alive and while, wearing the same clothes she had the night she had been murdered... 

“Oh your mother...” the ringmaster's voice sounded so far away. “I was never too keen on mine...”

“How...can you...he killed you...” she took a stumbling step forward towards the figure of her mother.

“And now for the nightmare part,” he chuckled, causing the snake-charmer to close her eyes in pity for what was coming. 

Oh that poor child---!

Nora Allen abruptly morphed into a hideous, decaying demon, gripping Carrie tightly by her wrists. Its breath was fetid in her face and voice a high, distorted screech compared to her mother's voice. “Even now you let your father rot in prison! You work for the Police! You're a CSI! And you have done nothing but bat your eyelashes at a man who will never see you as anything but a child!”

“---n-no---!” She thrashed, trying to free herself from the demonic being's grip. “I have been looking for the man in yellow! I promise! Mom! I'm sorry!”

“Not sorry enough!” it hissed at her. “Do you want to know what it feels like to be stabbed to death while your only child runs away from you?”

I didn't run away, she wanted to scream but the words were lodged in her throat, only a high keening whine escaping her as she fell back to the ground, wrestling with a demonic version of her mother only she could see.

How long did she fight this being who gouged at her flesh and her soul with its talons and cruel, demoralizing words? She didn't know but...part of her knew it was controlled by the ringmaster.

“S-stop!” she sobbed, tears streaming from beneath her mask, gripping at her skull and curled in the fetal position to protect herself from the demon's relentless attacks. “No more! Please!” 

“There...that's better,” he chuckled cruelly. “I think you'll fit in quite nicely with us.”

Faintly she could hear a crashing sound and there was a squealing of tires...behind her eyelids was a bright light...

A van door opened and she could hear Cisco's voice as he gripped her by the arm, pulling her up off the ground. “I got you!”

She was limp and near catatonic as he dragged her into the back of the van, screaming for her to hit the gas. The engine roared and tires whirred.

“I can't, it's not working!” Caitlin yelled in panic.

The van rocked forward before it was hoisted in the air. Cisco clutched Carrie, who was silently sobbing into his neck, to him.

The world spun as the van was thrown through the air and it cam to a halt skidding on its side. Caitlin helped Cisco pull Carrie from the wreck. Their words didn't even register to the catatonic speedster who was trapped in the nightmare created by the ringmaster.

Cisco scooped Carrie up in his arms bridal style and followed Caitlin as they tried to escape the dark circus. The doctor made a mental note to suggest an increase in Cisco's exercise regiment if he wanted to be able to cart Carrie or others around like that in cases of emergency.

They came to a skidding halt when they came face to face with the snake charmer, who regarded them with glowing eyes.

“...the child is still trapped in the nightmare he made then?” she asked and Caitlin stared at the audible concern in her voice.

...child...? She must mean Carrie, the doctor realized.

“Uhhh...” Cisco swallowed.

“...go, quickly,” she pointed in a direction and at their wary looks, sighed. “I'm trying to help you. I'll tell them I couldn't find you.”

“I think this is a trap...” Cisco muttered.

“I don't understand...”

“Mr Bliss...his ability...he can make you live through your worse nightmare, but its worse than any dream or hallucination. He can make you feel real pain...”

“Is this why---”

“That child is like that? Yes. And the longer...she?...stays that way, the harder it will be for her. We've all been there – he's done it to all of us, to keep us in line and willing to do whatever he wants...”

“Even commit murder?” Caitlin asked.

“Yes. You...don't understand. You'll do anything, become anything, to make him stop. To make the things he makes you feel stop. Pretend to be his friend, pretend to be happy and enthusiastic... Anything to keep him happy and away from you...” There were tears streaming down the snake-charmer's face.

“What is this all about? What's his endgame?”

“I don't know, just that its something big. Now take the child and go! Quickly!”

“...thank you,” Caitlin whispered s she and Cisco fled with the catatonic Carrie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm looking for the snake-charmer's name. I quite liked her and would love to see her as the first rehabilitated meta-human to come out of the pipeline... She'd make a neat reoccurring character I think.


	9. Chapter 9

As she was trying to flee from the demonic figure that had used the appearance of her mother, she heard something. A voice...calling her? ...that...sounded like Dr Wells...?

“Its time to wake up, Carrie.” 

With a gasp, she bolted upright, her eyes wide and chest heaving.

“W-whu-what happened?” She glanced around wildly, finding herself in the Cortex and she met Dr Well's eyes in confusion.

“Your neural pathways must have regenerated themselves – a side effect of your healing ability, I imagine,” he told her. “Mr Bliss and his circus are going to unleash what they did to you onto the very packed stadium – Caitlin and Cisco are on their way to try and stop them but...”

“Stadium...?” she blinked away lingering confusion and fear before her eyes went huge. “The game! Iris and Eddie are there!”

“Be--” he began and she abruptly leaned in, pressing a finger to his lips.

“Not those words, Harrison! You really are jinxing me!” she said with wide eyes.

He arched a brow at her and she blushed, pulling her hand back before pulling her cowl back up and speeding away.

\----

When she reached the stadium, she realized in dread that there was a lot more people there than she had thought there was going to be.

“Oh no....everyone's been whammied!” Carrie said over the comm. “Dr Wells, what do I do?!”

“You need to get those people out of there and limit their exposure to Bliss's powers.”

As she was looking around she could see-- “Iris! Eddie!”

Iris was struggling against somethings only she could see as Carrie blurred over to her side. “No! Please! Please, come back!”

“Iris!” She shook Iris's arm in worry.

Finding no response, she scooped her sister up and ran her out into the stadium's parking lot. Setting her down, Carrie ran back in, picking up the non-circus occupants, one by one in blurs of her super-speed.

She was definitely going to have to work on the upper body strength, she decided. 

As she evacuated the stadium, she noticed the snake-charmer attacking the ringmaster. Silently Carrie thanked her for the distraction. Once everyone was out, she saw the strongman had the snake-charmer up in a painful looking hold...and she sped forward, rescuing her unexpected ally from his grip.

She panted for breath, glaring at the ringmaster. “Show's over, Bliss!”

“I'm not through performing for my audience!” he roared at her.

Carrie allowed herself the less than pleasant smile that crossed her face. After what he did to her, to Iris, Eddie, and all those innocent people...she wasn't in the mood to be nice. “What audience?”

As he whirled around in shock to see the empty stadium, she purred darkly. “Maybe they got bored?”

“You'll die for this, freak!” Bliss howled as several of his circus performs began to charge forward.

“No name-calling!” she chastised even as she sped forward, vaulting up over him. 

“You know the best thing about the circus?” She asked with a cheeky grin. “There's lots of cages!”

She blurred forward, subduing the performers, tying them up and depositing them in the various cages. The speedster took extra care to make sure Bliss was thoroughly knocked out and not faking it. No way did she want to go through that hell again...

\-------

Standing in the Pipeline, she watched Bliss banging on the door of his cell. She eyed him warily. “...you sure this will hold him?”

“Its two-way mirrored glass. We can see in, but he can't see out,” Cisco reassured her.

“And since he can't see us, he can't use his powers,” Caitlin added before looking at the newest occupants of other cells. “...though I'm not sure I'm comfortable having clowns down here.”

“The Pipeline was creepy enough before,” Carrie agreed before making a face. “At least this way there's eight less clowns on the streets of Central City terrorizing innocent children?”

“Making the world safer...one bozo at a time,” he chuckled.

\------

Walking beside Dr Wells's chair, she tried to not remember she called him by his first name without permission. To distract herself, she took a bite out of her Cisco'd protein bar. Her nose scrunched up at the taste. “Ugh. Cisco's still got a long way to go to make these things taste better...”

“They are a work in progress,” Dr Wells reminded her and glanced over at her. “...how are you feeling?”

“Sore. Emotionally drained. My headache's mostly gone now that I've eaten a few of these,” she replied.

“I imagine removing an entire stadium full of people from their seats would take a lot out of a person...especially after what you already endured at Bliss's hands.

“Yeah...” she swallowed the last bite of her bar. “Well I'm getting used to letting my freak flag fly.”

He abruptly stopped before her, causing her to nearly stumble to a halt. Dr Wells turned his chair to face her and he regarded her sternly. “I do not see a freak before me, Carrie Allen. I see a very remarkable young woman with amazing abilities. I see a hero.”

A hot blush crawled up to her hairline. “I...”

Her cellphone buzzed and she reluctantly pulled her eyes from his piercing gaze to pull it out of her back-pocket. 

“CCPD... I have to run. Its Cold again!”

“Go. Be--” he stopped when she arched her brows at him. “...safe...?”

She huffed out a laugh. “Lets hope that doesn't jinx me.”

There was a split second pause before she darted forward, pressing a kiss to his cheek and bolting away in a streak of golden lightning, changing into her suit and making her way to the scene of the robbery turned icy battle.

She was riding a bit of a high. 

All her life she'd been considered a freak – too smart and a science nerd, her mom murdered, and dad in prison... 

...but now, with Dr Wells's words echoing in her mind as she zipped up to the scene and pulled the uniformed officers out of the range of Cold's gun, she felt...

...unique...

Special. 

So maybe there was a cheeky grin on her face when she darted in under several icy blasts and getting up close with the villain.

“I'm starting to think you missed me!” she laughed. “Oh wait, you did. Several times. Too slow, snowman!”


End file.
